Cryotherapy for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata: A Review

The document reviews the use of cryotherapy as a potential treatment for Alopecia Areata (AA). The review analyzed studies from 1990 to 2022, focusing on three studies that assessed the efficacy of liquid nitrogen cryotherapy for AA treatment and five studies that compared cryotherapy to intralesional steroid injection. Approximately 60% of patients responded to cryotherapy and achieved hair regrowth. While there was no statistically significant difference in efficacy between cryotherapy and intralesional steroid injection, some evidence suggested lower relapse rates in the cryotherapy group. However, the validity of these studies is questionable due to inconsistencies in cryotherapy cycles, steroid dosages, and patient populations. The document concludes that more research with larger sample sizes and consistent experimental procedures is needed to assess the clinical efficacy of cryotherapy for AA treatment.